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Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Conservative Talkers Being Silenced? Or Re-Directed?

Headlines have been blaring all over the digital universe about Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity being tossed off the radio airwaves by Cumulus and losing 40 stations in key markets.
For example, Politico's Dylan Byers reported:

"In a major shakeup for the radio industry, Cumulus Media, the second-biggest broadcaster in the country, is planning to drop both Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity from its stations at the end of the year, an industry source told POLITICO on Sunday.

Cumulus has decided that it will not renew its contracts with either host, the source said, a move that would remove the two most highly rated conservative talk personalities from more than 40 Cumulus channels in major markets."

However, in the words of the legendary radio broadcaster Paul Harvey, readers are not being told the rest of the story.
Cumulus and Clear Channel have been buying up stations in major markets. Limbaugh and Hannity are syndicated by Premiere, which is owned by Clear Channel.
Rather than pay fees to Cumulus to carry these shows it makes more sense to put them on their own properties, reduce local talent costs, and save those fees.
The two top-rated talkers aren't going anywhere. They're just changing dial positions and, in many cases, to better signals.

Seeing liberal bloggers declare victory about how a boycott of these shows' sponsors led to this makes my hair stand on end for four reasons.

Seeing liberal bloggers declare victory about how a boycott of these shows' sponsors led to this makes my hair stand on end for four reasons.
First, that's not at all what happened, as these shows will land elsewhere.
Second, and even more importantly, these two broadcasters, with whom I vehemently, vocally, and publicly disagree politically, have done more to keep the talk radio industry alive than anyone else.
It's because of the success of these two shows that many stations have stayed in the talk format in the first place, allowing other shows to be heard. Much as liberals don't have nearly as many outlets as conservatives (According to Talkers Magazine, conservatives own the lion's share of the news/talk market), it would be even worse for the left if these shows weren't making it, because the industry would be closer to collapse at a time when terrestrial radio is struggling.
Third, a boycott hurts the entire business. Advertisers run scared and are encouraged to avoid controversy, and that affects all programming, including progressive hosts.
Fourth, what kind of liberal wants to clamp down on free speech and celebrate shutting someone up?
The best antidote to free speech is -- free speech. As the German theologian Martin Niemoller famously said, "First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out because I was not a Socialist..."
If I, as a liberal, didn't speak out against those who would squelch the free speech of conservatives, I wouldn't deserve to call myself a liberal.
I will continue to speak out against the views of both Limbaugh and Hannity when I feel it's warranted, meeting their free speech with my own. But I will never forget that, without them, I'd have a much smaller platform on which to do it.Alan Colmes is a nationally syndicated radio host, distributed by Fox News Radio, and publisher of Liberaland at alan.com.

About Me

I'm not a nice person, get over it. I do consider myself to be fair and reasonable. I am a Catholic "Wanna be" but live in Mortal Sin. You may want to sign up. Matthew 16:18
And I tell you, you are Peter and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it. That's why you should visit you local Catholic Church, confess your sins and pray God has mercy. I'm not so lucky.